Cooking device



May 31,1927.

F. H. SMITH cooxme DEVICE Filed Jan. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 By Attornqy May 31, 1927. 76

F. H. SMITH COOKING DEVICE I Filed Jan. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 22 I lg 1 1| 8 2M 4015M L 14 M0 rmy Patented Flay 31, 1?;

COOKING DEVICE.

Application filed January 1?, 1927. Serial 110. 161,58?

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in cooking devices, and has for its primary object to provide a mechanism including generally a container for a water, grease, or other material within which the food is to be cooked and to have a plurality of baskets mounted for alternative submersion within the material and .so operated as to remain for sufficient length to of time within the material so as to become properly cooked, other means being provided to conve the food within one of the other baskets simultaneously with the movement of the first mentioned basket into the heated material with the result in view of providing a device wherein food may be automatically cooked without requiring the continuous attention of an operator.

A further and important object is to provide a device of this character that is relatively speaking, simple of construction, in-

expensive of manufacture and operation and one that is well adapted for the cooking of food, nuts, and the like in a simple and untedious manner.

With the foregoing and other objects in view as the nature of the invention will be better understood, the same comprises the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

lln the drawings wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a cooklng device constructed in accordance with the present invention, a portion of the casing front wall being broken away, and the cooking mechanism per se being disclosed in front side elevation and partly in cross section.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon the line 22 of Figure 1, and looking downwardly in the direction of the arrows for disclosing certain of the portions of the cooking mechanisgn per se in top plan and cross section, an,

Figure 3 is a section taken substantially upon the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Now having particular reference to the drawings my novel device consists of a suitable casing 5, one side of the front wall of which is provided with glass panels 66, Wh le r t p the at ens Wall f t casing directly in back of the lower glass panel 6 is a cooked food receptacle 7. Mounted within this casing 5 at the side of the receptacle 7 is the cooking mechanism per se which includes a water or grease trough 8 mounted upon the bottom wall of the casing and being of curvilinear forma tion as clearly disclosed in Figure 1. Any suitable means may be provided for heating the water or grease within this trough, there being disclosed an electrical heater 9 arranged within the base thereof. Suitably supported in back of this trough Sand extending slightly thereabove is an electric motor 10, the armature shaft of which is equipped at its forward end with a worm 11 having mesh with a largeworm gear 12 mounted upon one end of a suitably journaled stub shaft 13 above the armature shaft of the motor, see Figures 2 and 3. The inner end of this stub shaft 13 is equipped with a worm 14 that has mesh with a large worm gear 15 upon a shaft 16 suitably journaled between a pair of vertical supporting standards 17-17. The forward face of this worm gear 15 is equipped with a smaller annulus 18 that is formed at its periphery with a crescent shaped cut out 19.

Suitably journaled beneath the shaft 16 is a parallel shaft 20 that terminates at its forward end slightly above the trough 8 and is equippedv at this end with a large circular plate 21. Upon this shaft 20 directly in front of the worm gear 15 and beneath the periphery of the annulus 18 is a star wheel 22 formed with four slots 23 that terminate at their inner ends at the center of the wheel and at their outer ends at the four corners of the wheel as clearly disclosed in Figure 3.. Intermediate the corners of this wheel, the periphery thereof is of rounded formation so as toreceive the periphery of the annulus 18. Furthermore, the front face of the worm wheel 15 is equipped adjacent its edge with a pin 24 for the purpose of engaging within one of the slots of the star wheel at each revolution of said gear. Obviously the cut out 19 at the periphery of the annulus is to permit the corners of the star wheel to pass said annulus, while the pin 24: is engaged within the adjacent slot of said star wheel. However, after the worm gear 15 has turned a Suficient degree to cause a one-quarter turn of the shaft 20, the pin will withdraw from the particular slot at which time the periphery ill) of the annulus will engage the adjacent curved surface of the star wheel so as to lock the shaft 20 against further rotation until the pin 24 again engages therewith.

Projecting forwardly from the large C11- cularplate 21 upon the forward end of the shaft 20 at four equally spaced points of the plate are horizontal bars 25. Pivotally suprted upon the inner and outer end of each li r 25 is :1. depending link 26 between each pair of which is hung a wire mesh food receiving basket 27 the same being hung between these links in an oifcenter manner as clearly disclosed in Figure 1. Each basket is equipped at its forward side witha lug 28 directly in front of the foremost link 26, while interconnecting the foremost link and the basket at points beyond the lugs 28 are retractile coil springs 29, saidsprings being for the purpose of preventing the tilting of the baskets, while said lugs 28 will strike against the links 26 to limit the reverse swinging movement of the baskets beyond the horizontal position.

Within the casing 5 directly between the cooked food receiving receptacle 7 and the oil or water trough 8 and at a point slightly thereabove is a trip pin 30 for the purpose of engaging the nose of each basket 2 as the same passes 'therebeyond to cause the tilting ofthe basket to such an extent that the food therein will be dumped into the receptacle 7 in an obvious manner.

The shaft 20 is equipped with a sprocket gear 31 at a oint between the plate 21 and said star w eel 22, this gear being provided for the purpose hereinafter more fully described.

The invention further consists of means for conveying properly the food to be cooked to the various baskets 27 as the same move into proper position and in sequence. This mechanism consists of a circular casing 32 within which is a rotary drum 33 formed at four equally spaced points with radiating food comdpartments 34 that are open at their outer on s. The bottom of the casing 32'is formed with an opening 35 so as to permit the food to be discharged from the various compartments as the same pass into registration therewith at which time one of the baskets 27 will be directly thereunder to catch the food flowing therefrom.

Upon the top side of the casing 32 is a suitable food hopper 36 for the purpose of supplying the food to the various compartments 34 of the drum 33.

Obviousl the drum 33 is mounted u n a central sliaft 37, the rear end of whic is nipped with a suitable s rocket gear as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 1, which sprocket gear is in vertical alignment with t e. sprocket r 31 upon the shaft 20 and over which is trained an endless sprocket hem 3 a plurality of circularly spaced meta Obviously the driving mechanism for the basket car plate 21 issuch that the baskets 27 wil? be successively moved into the grease or water trough 8 and held therein for a predetermined length of time, dependent upon the ratio of t e various gears heretofore described. Simultaneously with the actuation of said basket carrying annulus the food distributing drum 33 Wlll also be rotated so that the food will be carried from the hopper 36 into the uppermost basket 27 and this simultaneous] with the entrance of the first mentioned asket into the tron h 8.

It will thusie seen that I have provided a highly novel, simple and eflicient cooking device that is well ad apted'for all the purposes heretofore designated and even though I have herein shown and described the invention as consisting of certain detail structural elements, it is nevertheless to be under;- stood that minor chan es may be made therein without aflectmg t e spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:--

1. In a cooking device of the character described, a trough for the cooking fluid,

lic baskets mounted for rotation above the trou h and which are adapted to be unitarily su mergedin the fluid within the trough, means whereby the baskets are unitarily moved into the trough and permitted to remain therein for a predetermined length of time, and means for positively looking all the baskets against movement while a single basket is within the trough for its predetermined length of time.

2. In a cooking device of the class described, a trough for a cooking fluid, a rotary late mounted in position above the troug a plurality of circularly spaced material receiving baskets suspended from the face of the plate and ada ted to be unitarily moved into the cookin uid trough, means for normally reventmg the swinging of the baskets, said means being operable to permit the tilting of the basket to facilitate the dumping thereof at a predetermined time, an a ditional means for locking the plate against rotation while said basket is submerged in the trough for its predetermined length of time. i

'3. In a cooking device of the class described, a trough for a cookin liquid, 8. pair of vertically spaced rotate 1e shafts, a basket carrying unit secured on the lower shaft, a plum 'ty of baskets suspended therefrom, said baskets adapted to be unitarily moved into the trough and permitted to remain therein for apredetermined length of time, and cooperating means arranged on the shaft for positively locking the unit against movement while a single basket is within the trough for its predetermined length of time.

4:. in a cooking device of the class described, a trough for a cooking liquid, a air of vertically spaced rotatable shafts, a asket carrying unit secured onthe lower shaft, a plurality of baskets suspended therefrom, said baskets adapted to be unitarily moved into the trough and permitted to remain therein for a predetermined length of time, and cooperating 'means arranged on the shaft for positively locking the unit against movement while a single basket is within the trough for its predetermined length of time, said means comprising a driven gear keyed on the upper shaft, a relatively small annulus on the outer face of the gear, said annulus being cut outat its peripheral portion, a star wheel secured on the lower shaft, the arms of the star wheel being slotted, and a pin projecting laterally from the gear and successively engaging the slotted arms of said star wheel, said star wheel being movable when one arm is disposed within the cut-out portion of the annulus.

5. In a cooking device of the class described, a trough for the cooking liquid, a rotatable shaft, arranged above the trough, a, relatively large plate secured on the shaft for rotation therewith, a plurality of bars extending outwardly from the outer face of the plate at predetermined points, a pair of links pivotally supported upon the inner and outer end of each bar and depending therefrom, a food receiving basket pivotally scribed, a trough for the cooking liquid, a

rotatable shaft, arranged above the trough, a relatively large plate secured on the shaft for rotation therewith, a plurality of bars extending outwardly from the outer face of the plate at predetermined points, a pair of links pivotally supported upon the inner and outer end of each bar and depending therefrom, a food receiving basket pivotally suspended between the lower ends of each pair of depending links, said basket adapted to be unitarily moved into the cooking fluid trough, and means for normally preventing ,the swinging of the basket, said means being operable to permit the tilting movement of the basket to facilitate the dumping thereof, said last mentioned means comprising a lug carried by each basket and adapted to engage with the outermost link of each pair of basket suspension links, and retractile coil springs connecting the outermost link of each pair with-the basket at a point beyond thelugs.

In testimony whereof llafliz; my signature.

rannnnrck HOBSON SMITH. 

